Untouchable
by JediMara77
Summary: "All that mattered was that she suddenly and totally knew Luke Skywalker. Knew everything about him. And she had never been more terrified in her entire life." L/M, dark romance, crack!fic. In honor of April Fool's Day.


**Title:** Untouchable  
><strong>Author:<strong> JediMara77  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker  
><strong>Genre:<strong> dark romance, crack!fic  
><strong>Timeframe:<strong> 19 ABY  
><strong>Summary:<strong> All that mattered was that she suddenly and totally knew Luke Skywalker. Knew everything about him. And she had never been more terrified in her entire life.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I own nothing. Some words and dialogue were taken from _Vision of the Future_ by Timothy Zahn.  
><strong>AN: **I blame Twitter. And the Drew Peterson movie and Luke Skywalker's horrible love life. Oh, and April Fool's Day.

* * *

><p><strong>PART ONE: REVELATION<strong>

It happened so fast.

Mara Jade was fighting for her life, convinced that she was going to die. Fighting back to back with Luke Skywalker against two seemingly indestructible sentinel droids, with no place to go thanks to the trip cords that covered the floor, their chances seemed hopeless. Even through the battle she searched for some way out of this, some way to save both their lives, but couldn't. Every option ended with their deaths. That left her only one choice: to sacrifice herself for Luke. As close as they'd grown over their time on Nirauan, her thoughts did not surprise her.

Still she heard his thought in her mind, a brief echo of the mental contacts that had happened between them throughout the past several weeks. _No, Mara! We'll find a way out of here!_She shook her head, knowing there was no other choice. Luke couldn't defend against four blasters on his own, not with two of them firing at his back.

She felt his determination then, a shift in his Force sense, willing her to stay put for the time being. And so they kept fighting, their lightsabers moving in a blur of blue and green motion. She could sense Luke in the Force so clearly, could feel his immense strength and power. She'd witnessed Luke fight before, had seen him take down a squadron of stormtroopers without the Force, and had known how well they worked together. But never had she seen him like this. Never had she seen him so strong, filled with the Force, using every aspect of its power.

And so was she. Perhaps it was her closeness to Luke, perhaps it was the heat of battle, but she connected with him now on a level she'd never known was possible. They fought as one, their movements fluid and dynamic, completely unstoppable. Untouchable.

As the word went through her mind, she heard another thought, one from Luke's mind that was now melded with hers: _Drop!_She obeyed his command as a hardened soldier, covering her head with her hands as his intentions became clear.

In one single second, the droids that had seemed so indestructible imploded with a harsh creak of durasteel. The blasterfire ceased, the enemy had been defeated…but as Mara rose to her feet, she knew that the threat was still there, directly in front of her. She stared at him, flush with sweat and panting from his exertions, unable to look away from those familiar blue eyes that now seemed so alien.

And Mara was now certain that she was about to die.

Because somehow the battle had bonded them, deep within their souls. Perhaps it was how strongly they'd both called upon the Force while fighting; perhaps it was meant to be after how close they'd become during their time on Nirauan. The reasons did not matter. All that mattered was that she suddenly and totally knew Luke Skywalker. Knew everything about him: his hopes and fears; his successes and failures; his strengths and weaknesses; his highest joys and his deepest and most private sorrows. She saw into his innermost spirit, to the depths of his heart, to the very core of his being.

And she had never been more terrified in her entire life.

* * *

><p><strong>PART TWO: SEDUCTION<strong>

For a long moment they were silent, the noises of battle dissipating into the vast chamber. Mara's eyes darted to the left and right, looking at the remains of the droids that had caused this bonding in the first place. They were completely obliterated, destroyed with only the power of Luke's mind.

Once, long ago, she'd heard a story about him destroying an AT-AT around the time the Reborn Emperor began terrorizing the galaxy. She could never reconcile the two versions of Luke in her mind—the optimistic farmboy who would avoid fighting at any cost, and the hardened soldier who eradicated every enemy in his path without a second thought. Now the two stood joined before her, and she found herself drawn to Luke's eyes, still so earnest and blue even after all she'd seen.

He was a killer, a murderer, a liar, a fraud. He was all those things, but he was also the man who had trusted her, taught her to believe in herself, helped her to learn how to live a new life. How was that even possible? How could Luke Skywalker possibly be a Sith?

"Not a Sith," he clarified, having easily read her mind. Mental shields were pointless now that she knew the true strength of his power, not to mention after being bonded in the Force. "It's so much more than that, Mara. I'm not like him."

Her throat convulsed, and for a moment she had trouble breathing. But she gulped down air, swallowed again, and glared at those eyes as she always had before. "I don't understand," she said.

Luke didn't chide her, or berate her, or even lecture her as she had him days ago in the caves. He merely smiled. "Yes, you do. I know what happened, what you felt, what you saw. I felt the same thing, Mara."

Her body jolted. If she had seen inside his soul, then he had also seen inside hers. _Of course!_Why hadn't the thought occurred to her?

_Because you didn't want it to. You're afraid of what he saw._

There was only one reason why she could possibly still be alive right now: because Luke wanted her to be. He'd come to Nirauan to rescue her, and had destroyed the sentinel droids to save her life. Even after learning all of his secrets she was still breathing, when it was clear Luke had not been so kind to previous women. He must have seen something in her that would cause him to keep her alive. There was only one thing she could think to say, and she was terrified of the answer: "Why?"

Luke's response was surprisingly gentle. "Because you're like me, Mara. Haven't you realized?"

She began to shake her head no even as her brain said yes. She _had _begun to realize how similar they were. Had fleeting moments of wonderment throughout these past several weeks. Caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking. They'd grown closer than she ever thought possible, and she'd grown to trust him as she once had, long before his actions at Byss and the fight against Exar Kun.

"Wait!" Those memories sent her brain into overdrive. Nothing made sense. "Why did you fight against the Sith for so many years?"

"Because I could."

"Why not go with Vader on Bespin?"

"Because I was still ignorant of the true power of the Force, and I didn't want to go with my father only to become a pawn in his games."

"What about Endor?" Mara had seen what Luke was capable of at Jabba's Palace. The Emperor had sent her to eliminate the threat he posed, and when that failed tried in vain to turn him to the dark side. "Surely you two could have overpowered him!" She knew it was true. She'd seen the visions, and believed it with every fiber of her being for five years. Even afterward, she'd had a hard time distinguishing reality from false visions.

But Luke shook his head. "Even then, I wasn't strong enough to defeat Palpatine on my own. I knew that Vader was the only one who could." He paused. "It was…unfortunate…that he passed on in doing so. I believe we could have come to an agreement."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Don't give me that shavit," she growled. "If you're going to kill me, just go ahead and do it! I saw what happened…what you did with the others…Callista didn't just disappear into the night like you said!"

"Callista left me no choice. I told her I would leave her alone, that we could go our separate ways. But even without the Force she clung to her Jedi ideals." Luke sighed, as if the memory pained him, but Mara knew better.

"You're lying. You enjoyed it—Callista, Akanah, Gaeriel, Jem…I'm surprised you didn't get rid of Lumiya, too! Or were you just not trying hard enough back then?"

Luke shrugged. "Believe what you want, Mara, but you know I'm not lying."

"But _why?_" She could not wrap her head around the answer to that question. "Why would you do this? You're a Jedi…" Or at least she thought he was…

"Because I can, Mara," he repeated. "You were right back in the caves. I've floundered over the past ten years. I believed I could defeat Palpatine on my own back on Byss, but then I realized how wrong I was."

"So why fight against him at all?"

"Because I wasn't going to _serve_Palpatine any more than I wanted to serve Vader. I know you understand what that feels like."

She couldn't deny it. Hadn't she made that same argument to Luke while walking through these caves? She didn't want to go back to a life of servitude. It was what kept her away from the Jedi all these years.

"So _are _you a Jedi, then?"

"Some people might call me that, but I think you know better."

"Then why did you bother me to come to the Academy all those years? Why even open the Academy in the first place?"

"The first answer is simple: because I knew that you wouldn't come if I bothered you, and I wanted you to stay away for the time being. The second answer is more complicated, but ultimately straightforward: it's what people expected Luke Skywalker to do. And as long as people believe that Luke Skywalker is firmly on the path of the light, then I am free to do whatever I want in the galaxy."

"And what is it that you want to do?" Mara couldn't help asking. She didn't think Luke was the power-hungry type, but then again her entire view of him had been shattered over the past several minutes.

"I was born with this power, Mara, and I'm going to use it. All those years I floundered, unsure of my place in the Force, insecure about what I was and my potential. But now, I understand. I was given this power for a reason, and I will use it."

"So you want to rule the galaxy, then?" It had been her fear during the Byss crisis—that Luke would be seduced by the dark side and help the Emperor create another reign of terror, so soon after she had escaped his influence.

"It's what I'm meant to do," he said softly. "Denying that would be resisting the will of the Force."

"Then you are just like him!" she spat.

"You know that I'm not. Listen, Mara." He moved then, stepping forward to take her hand in his. She flinched but his grasp remained firm on her hand. "I was wrong to go to Byss. I should never have gone there without you."

It was not the apology Mara expected, and knocked her completely unbalanced. "What?"

"You were angry that I went on my own, and you were right to be," he said. "I believed that I could defeat him on my own, but I was sucked into his teachings. But in the end I remembered the folly of clinging so tightly to Sith doctrines, and I broke free of his grasp."

"And then Leia rushed in to save you, and you decided to let everyone believe that you were the same old Luke Skywalker."

He shook his head, refusing to rise to her bait. "I should have asked for your help. You of all people would have known how to confront him. I'm sorry."

Even after all she had learned about him, his apology was still a gift to her ears. Until now, she hadn't realized how much she wanted to hear those words—how much she needed to hear them. "I thought things were different between us," she whispered, her voice sounding foreign to her. "After Wayland, I thought that we had something—I don't know—special." Her head dropped, unable to look at him any longer. She felt so vulnerable when all she should feel was anger as his revelations.

"We did have something special," Luke said, "and I ruined it. I'm so sorry, Mara." He lifted her chin with his thumb. "Can you forgive me?"

She almost—almost—said yes. But then the faces of a long line of dead exes swam through her memory and she recoiled away. "No! No, I can't forgive you!" she repeated when Luke's face fell. "You've _killed _people, Luke, in cold blood! You're on the dark side! How can you ever expect me to be okay with that?"

"I did do those things, but they were necessary. I didn't enjoy it any more than you enjoyed killing traitors for Palpatine." She flinched at his words, but remained quiet. "There's more to the Force than Jedi versus Sith, Mara. I know you agree, or else you would have already joined the Jedi."

"I didn't become a Jedi because of your actions!"

"Maybe at first I would have accepted that, but it's been nine years since Byss. It stopped being about me a long time ago. You've been bitter and afraid—afraid of losing yourself to the Force. But it's okay, Mara. That doesn't have to happen."

"I can't believe anything that you say."

He placed his lightsaber on his belt and held up his hands in surrender. "If that's true, why haven't you already tried to kill me? It wouldn't be unexpected for you."

There wasn't a good answer to that question, but Luke did not press her for one. He'd made his point, and he knew it, the bastard. But her mind still protested the inevitable. "I'm not like you," she whispered again.

"Yes, you are. And that's why I came here to find you."

"I don't want to serve you!"

"I would never ask that of you. You're too good for that."

Her eyes narrowed, looking for a trap but not sensing one. "Then what do you want?"

"We make a good team, Mara," he began, almost hesitantly. "And when we were fighting the sentinels, it was like we became one person. That's why I want you to _join _me."

"No." The word fell from her mouth unbidden. "I'm not like him…"

"And that's exactly why we belong together."

She glanced up at him sharply, green eyes boring into his. "Together?" Nobody had ever asked her to just be herself…

He swallowed hard. "Together. I can't do this without you."

"I…I can't." She shook her head, as if remembering how crazy this all was. "You'll never get away with this. Leia will figure it out—"

"Leia won't figure out anything because she doesn't want to," Luke refuted easily. "Just like Han, Wedge, all the other Jedi…just like you didn't."

"And if she does?"

Luke glanced to his feet, sadness and determination in his eyes. She already knew the answer to that question; she'd seen what had happened when those he cared for confronted him.

"We won't get away with this," she repeated, but her voice sounded weak to her own ears, and she knew that she had lost.

He grinned then, for the first time in many days. "Yes we will, Mara."

"How can you be so sure?"

He stepped close to her and took her lightsaber—the one he had given her ten years ago. He glanced at it for a moment before hooking it on her belt and gazing back into her eyes. "Because I'm untouchable, Mara." And then, standing together in the middle of the large cavern…their lips came together in a kiss.

Her brain screamed at her to push him away, to get the hell out of there while she still had a chance. But her heart refused to let her move. She kissed him back, allowing the warmth of his Force sense to wash over her. He was powerful, and it felt so right to be in his arms, and he needed her…

She knew it then, that this was where she was meant to be. Not serving Palpatine like some mindless drone. Not serving Karrde and never living up to her full potential. Not serving the galaxy as a Jedi and denying the true power of the Force.

Over the course of her stay on Nirauan she'd come to accept her place in the Force, thinking that she must sacrifice part of herself to become a Jedi. But now she knew the truth, that she could throw away all her preconceptions about using the Force. She didn't need to be a Jedi, nor a Sith. Not with Luke at her side.

It felt good to be so certain of her strength in the Force, and to see Luke so confident and unburdened. He was like a different man, except deep down he was the same person she'd always known, just hadn't yet realized.

And then there were the threats that Fel and Parck had warned against, the threats that had scared her so much only minutes ago, when they discovered Thrawn's clone. In Luke's arms, she didn't feel scared any longer.

Slowly, reluctantly, Mara pulled away from the kiss. "Not to put a damper on things, but we should probably find a way out of here before the Chiss come snooping around." She smirked at him. "Not that we really have anything to worry about."

Luke chuckled against her and pulled her in for another kiss. "No," he murmured, "but you're right. Let's get back to the ship."

"What about the clone?" Mara asked.

Luke glanced back over his shoulder at the lone cloning cylinder. "Let it stay." His eyes grew distant, then flickered with amusement. "Who knows? He might actually pose a challenge."

.

.

They returned to the Chiss ship the way they came and faced no resistance getting off planet. Even though she felt like she could face anything now, she was glad to finally relax. After weeks living in primitive conditions, she was ready to get back to civilization. Perhaps eventually return to the plush life she'd once been granted.

Perhaps.

Luke had let her fly, knowing how much she mourned the loss of her ship, the _Jade's Fire_. "We'll get you another one," he told her, sensing her melancholy thoughts, and she smiled.

"I know."

Her hand pressed down on the hyperdrive level and the stars disappeared into the mottled lines of hyperspace. They both breathed a sigh of relief, and shared another smile. "Next stop, Coruscant," Luke said.

Mara shook her head. "Next stop, the nearest New Republic base or one of Karrde's outposts." She paused to consider her words in the face of all that she'd learned in the past hour or so. "I mean…is that what we do now?"

"We do exactly what we would have before," Luke told her. "And as always, you are the practical one in this relationship. A shower and real food sounds very good right about now."

Her eyes raked over his face, at the stubble and dirt from their weeks in the caves. She wondered what she must look like to him. "Right." She checked the navicomputer. "Still ten hours until the nearest base. I don't know about you, but I could use some rest."

"There's a small bunk in the back. You take it; I'll stay up here."

His blue eyes seemed so earnest, and she couldn't say no. She trusted him. She stood, then leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Okay."

.

.

Several hours later she woke, feeling refreshed but still dirty. Unable to get back to sleep, she returned to the flight deck. Luke had nodded off in the co-pilot's chair, but his Force sense was blazing with awareness.

She stared down at him for a long time. Could she do it? Could she kill him now? _Should _she? He shifted in his sleep and she shook her head, the moment of fancy gone. No, he would wake as soon as she laid a hand on him and then it would be all over. That was pointless.

Besides, she thought as she lowered herself into the pilot's chair, if she were truly honest with herself…she couldn't imagine life without him. She loved him.

"I love you, too," Luke murmured, his eyes still closed.

Mara felt herself flush but managed to maintain her composure. "What was that?" she asked, glaring at him with a measured expression.

His eyes opened, and he grinned. "I said 'I love you'."

Mara grinned back. "That's a good thing, because I love you, too."

"Then you'll marry me?"

She should have been surprised by the question, but she wasn't. It seemed like the next logical step. They knew each other completely now, and there was no point in waiting to spend their lives together. To master the Force together, as Luke had promised her. But still… "Won't people think it's a bit…sudden?"

"Mara, it's _me _you're talking about."

And he was right. Luke Skywalker was impetuous and headstrong. He had fallen in love with a spirit trapped inside of a computer, and then killed her when she became too suspicious of his true leanings. No, becoming engaged to Mara Jade, the woman who had once sworn to kill him, wouldn't be out of character at all. So she said yes.

They sealed their promise with a kiss. When Luke pulled away, he gave her another grin. "You missed it, by the way. Remember when Artoo got so excited in the cloning chamber?"

"Yeah. What was it?"

Luke pointed to a computer display. "Thrawn's copy of the Caamas Document."

"Oh." Mara read through the data. It was genuine, all right. "What are we going to do with it?" Just a day ago, that answer would have been obvious. Now she wasn't so sure.

But Luke didn't hesitate. "We do exactly what we would have, remember?"

Mara nodded. That was yet another way he was different from Palpatine—he knew that peace was the best way to make the galaxy the way he wanted it.

She watched the starlines for a moment, her mind going into overdrive. When they got back to the galaxy they would have to pretend like everything was normal. Could she do that? Could she marry Luke and play the happy wife when secretly they were planning to take over the galaxy? She let her head hit the headrest, and sighed. She really shouldn't have been surprised. Luke Skywalker always had known how to throw her for a loop.

"What happens next?" she asked, searching for some reassurance.

Instead he smiled mischievously. "We stop at the nearest base to get cleaned up."

Mara swatted at his arm. "I mean with _us._I'm supposed to be the practical one, remember?"

"And that is why I love you." He paused and took her hand. "I believe a wedding is customary."

That still didn't answer her question. "And after that?"

Luke kissed her hand. He leaned back in his seat to gaze into the swirling maelstrom of hyperspace. "There's something dangerous on the horizon, Mara. We'll be there to defeat it.

"And then we will rule."

* * *

><p><strong>PART THREE: CONSCRIPTION<strong>**  
><strong>

Mara swallowed the last bite of her meal and placed her fork on the table beside her plate. "That was delicious, Leia. I love Alderaanian food."

Han Solo smirked from his spot across the table. "Yeah, so do I." He took his wife's arm and gave it a small nibble.

His wife smacked him lightly on the head as she rose from the table. "Nerf!" Leia's admonishment made everyone laugh. "Just for that, you get to help me with the dishes."

Han groaned. "Do I have to?" He sounded just like one of his children and Mara stifled another laugh. She caught her husband's eye and, upon silent agreement, they clasped hands, basking in the glow of their love and this quiet time spent with family. Soon they would start a family of their own, but in the meantime they would ensure that the Skywalker line continued to thrive. Which was what led them here, to the Solo household, for a family dinner.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Yes. And so do you three," she said, directing her attention to the twins, Jacen and Jaina, and their younger brother Anakin. They all groaned in perfect imitation of their father. But their mother's no-nonsense glare quieted their protests and they shuffled off to the kitchen.

Luke cleared his throat. "Leia?" He gestured his head toward Jacen, and Leia nodded furtively. When Luke had commed his sister to say that he and Mara wanted to discuss her son's training, Leia had been ecstatic. Jacen was getting older—he was almost eleven years old now—and it was time to plan for the future.

Luke grinned in response. "Jacen? Would you come speak with your Aunt Mara and me in the living room?"

Jacen's face brightened at the prospect of getting out of dish duty. "Sure! You wanna see my pet snake?"

Luke gave his nephew a patient smile. "Maybe later on, before you go to bed. Come here, Jacen."

The three of them retired to the sitting area for more privacy. Mara sat on the chair opposite the couch, watching her husband and nephew. She had known Jacen since he was born, and had once saved him from being kidnapped by Imperials. If she'd only known then what was to become of that young, innocent baby…

Jacen shifted, suddenly nervous as he realized he was alone with two adults. Perhaps he worried that he had done something wrong and would now be punished. Luke picked up on his mood and was quick to reassure him. "Your aunt and I want to talk about your training, Jacen."

The boy's mood instantly shifted, anticipation and excitement bubbling up inside of him. "Yeah?"

"In a few years, it will be time for you to go to the Academy."

"I know! I want to go now but Mom and Dad say I'm too young." Jacen made a face, clearly demonstrating what he thought about that opinion. Mara couldn't blame Han and Leia for wanting to give their children as normal a childhood as possible. She had never had one, after all. Neither had Leia, or Han. Out of all of them, Luke was the only one to live a somewhat normal childhood, which never ceased to amuse her, knowing what she now did.

"I'm sorry, Jacen, I have to defer to your mother and father here. But in the meantime there's no reason you can't practice the skills I've already taught you."

"Jaina and I practice all the time! Anakin, too. It's fun!"

Mara nearly smiled at his earnestness. "I'm sure it is, son," Luke said, placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "When you go to the Academy, you'll learn from a lot of different teachers. But your aunt and I are going to make some…changes…soon."

"What kind of changes?"

"After you complete your introductory training, each apprentice will learn individually from Knight or Master. Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah, it means we'll be taught one-on-one."

"That's right." Luke glanced at Mara. She gave him an encouraging smile. Luke turned back, squeezing Jacen's shoulder, maybe a bit too hard. "Would you like to be my apprentice?"

Jacen's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Really?"

"Yes, Jacen. I've known from before you were born that it was my responsibility to teach you the ways of the Force. What do you think?"

Jacen opened his mouth to say yes, but then his excitement faded. His brow furrowed in confusion. "What about Jaina?"

Mara leaned forward and placed a hand on Jacen's knee. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

The crease in Jacen's brow lessened, but he still looked apprehensive. "I understand your concerns about being separated from Jaina, but this is how the old Jedi did things. One-on-one teaching. You can learn more that way."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely," Mara confirmed, with a smile on her face. "I've learned more from your uncle than I ever thought possible."

"Well…" Jacen trailed off, his face still screwed with indecision. Mara shared another glance with her husband. Luke was tense, but ultimately unconcerned. The boy would have no reason to refuse training with his beloved uncle.

And sure enough, the worry quickly faded away from Jacen's face, replaced with hopefulness. "Will you teach me to be just like you?"

A wide grin spread across Luke's face, and he pulled his nephew into a hug. "Yes, Jacen. I will teach you to be just like me." He took his wife's hand. "Untouchable."

**FIN**


End file.
